PVSA Question

Presently, we are booked on a B2B Princess cruise out of Vancouver (Vancouver-Whittier-Vancouver). Last night, we started to play with the idea of adding a HAL Vancouver-Vancouver to the trip immediately following the Princess cruise. My question is this: Can we do a B2B Princess out of Vancouver---disembark Princess---and embark on a HAL ship the same day? Or, do we have to over night in Vancouver and then board the HAL ship the next day?

I know this issue has been discussed a few times before---need to get some clarification before I make travel arrangements. I think we are OK because it is a different ship but just not sure.

That is fine.

I agree - you are fine, even if you didn't switch ships. No worries with what you have planned.

Sounds like a great 3 weeks!

Just for my own clarification --- Is the reason we are OK is because we are not beginning or ending in a US port?

Originally, we were thinking of tacking on the HAL cruise in 2018 but decided it would be more economical to do it in 2017 if possible --- in 2018 we would have more hotel costs due to the timing of the two cruises we are considering for that year.

Thanks everyone for the posts, I appreciate it very much.

Coral, thanks for your comment.

As Vancouver is your starting and/or ending port, PVSA doesn't come directly into play.

As Vancouver is your starting and/or ending port, PVSA doesn't come directly into play.

Thanks, Bruce --- I appreciate the response.

Just for my own clarification --- Is the reason we are OK is because we are not beginning or ending in a US port?

 

Originally, we were thinking of tacking on the HAL cruise in 2018 but decided it would be more economical to do it in 2017 if possible --- in 2018 we would have more hotel costs due to the timing of the two cruises we are considering for that year.

 

Thanks everyone for the posts, I appreciate it very much.

 

Coral, thanks for your comment.

You can't start in one US port and end in a different US port. So LA to Seattle is illegal on same ship. Or Seattle to Whittier is illegal.

Vancouver to Seattle is legal, Vancouver to LA is legal, Vancouver to Whittier is legal. Vancouver to Vancouver is legal.

Since both cruises start and end in Vancouver, the PVSA does not have any bearing on the two cruises, or the combined cruise. Secondly, since you are changing ships and changing lines, there is no combination of cruises from the CBP's perspective. The whole PVSA thing is whether one foreign flag ship transports a passenger from one US port to another. Involving two ships, even of the same cruise line, negates the PVSA.

You can't start in one US port and end in a different US port. So LA to Seattle is illegal on same ship. Or Seattle to Whittier is illegal.

 

Vancouver to Seattle is legal, Vancouver to LA is legal, Vancouver to Whittier is legal. Vancouver to Vancouver is legal.

Thanks for the details --- good to know for the future.

Since both cruises start and end in Vancouver, the PVSA does not have any bearing on the two cruises, or the combined cruise. Secondly, since you are changing ships and changing lines, there is no combination of cruises from the CBP's perspective. The whole PVSA thing is whether one foreign flag ship transports a passenger from one US port to another. Involving two ships, even of the same cruise line, negates the PVSA.

Thank you for the response --- very helpful.

You can't start in one US port and end in a different US port. So LA to Seattle is illegal on same ship. Or Seattle to Whittier is illegal.

Only if it is a foreign flagged vessel.

Only if it is a foreign flagged vessel.

You are correct! There are a few really cool lines that do these routes.

Presently, we are booked on a B2B Princess cruise out of Vancouver (Vancouver-Whittier-Vancouver). Last night, we started to play with the idea of adding a HAL Vancouver-Vancouver to the trip immediately following the Princess cruise. My question is this: Can we do a B2B Princess out of Vancouver---disembark Princess---and embark on a HAL ship the same day? Or, do we have to over night in Vancouver and then board the HAL ship the next day?

 

I know this issue has been discussed a few times before---need to get some clarification before I make travel arrangements. I think we are OK because it is a different ship but just not sure.

No issue at all, because all of your departures are from Canada. PVSA does not apply at all.

Thanks to everyone who took the time to explain PVSA to me. Just got off the phone with my TA and have now added the Holland America cruise to our B2B Princess cruise --- Between these 3 cruises we will have lots of glacier viewing opportunities!

You can't start in one US port and end in a different US port. So LA to Seattle is illegal on same ship. Or Seattle to Whittier is illegal.

 

Vancouver to Seattle is legal, Vancouver to LA is legal, Vancouver to Whittier is legal. Vancouver to Vancouver is legal.

You've got to be clearer about the same ship part.

Foreign-flagged ships cannot offer cruises where you start your voyage in one US city and end your voyage in another US city, unless they take you to a distant foreign port. That's it. If you disembark one ship legally (in compliance with the PVSA) and embark another ship legally (to travel in compliance with the PVSA), you're fine. If you disembark one ship legally, wait 24 hours, you can then board that same ship legally as a new voyage.

Since the OP is getting off one ship and getting onto a different ship (regardless of line), the whole PVSA "counter" resets to zero. It's a new voyage.

You've got to be clearer about the same ship part.

 

Foreign-flagged ships cannot offer cruises where you start your voyage in one US city and end your voyage in another US city, unless they take you to a distant foreign port. That's it. If you disembark one ship legally (in compliance with the PVSA) and embark another ship legally (to travel in compliance with the PVSA), you're fine. If you disembark one ship legally, wait 24 hours, you can then board that same ship legally as a new voyage.

 

Since the OP is getting off one ship and getting onto a different ship (regardless of line), the whole PVSA "counter" resets to zero. It's a new voyage.

Because we were talking about the West Coast, I simplified her answer. There was no need to include a distant foreign port with the cities she was talking about. I gave her real city examples which made sense to someone not familiar with distant foreign port. My answer is a lot easier to understand for most people compared to your answer for the area involved.

Because we were talking about the West Coast, I simplified her answer. There was no need to include a distant foreign port with the cities she was talking about. I gave her real city examples which made sense to someone not familiar with distant foreign port. My answer is a lot easier to understand for most people compared to your answer for the area involved.

There was no need to involve all of the combinations you did. She's switching cruise lines, which means she's switching ships. That's all that really matters here: the PVSA focuses on _transport_ by one voyage; she's taking multiple voyages, so each one gets analyzed independently.

There was no need to involve all of the combinations you did. She's switching cruise lines, which means she's switching ships. That's all that really matters here: the PVSA focuses on _transport_ by one voyage; she's taking multiple voyages, so each one gets analyzed independently.

This comes up a lot so I thought I would be helpful (as opposed to being critical like you are being).

Coral -- thank you for being so helpful on the Alaska boards. Many of us really appreciate how you explain things. Just ignore the other responses.

This comes up a lot so I thought I would be helpful (as opposed to being critical like you are being).

At what point do you actually become satisfied?

At what point do you actually become satisfied?

Are you a bully in real life also or just on cruise boards?

There was no need to involve all of the combinations you did. She's switching cruise lines, which means she's switching ships. That's all that really matters here: the PVSA focuses on _transport_ by one voyage; she's taking multiple voyages, so each one gets analyzed independently.

Both of you were going into a lot more detail than needed. All three of OP's cruises either begin or end in Canada, PVSA does not apply. End of discussion.

Both of you were going into a lot more detail than needed. All three of OP's cruises either begin or end in Canada, PVSA does not apply. End of discussion.

I am glad Coral responded how he did. I am or was considering an La to Vancouver cruise next May and then continue on to Seattle. I now know I can't do this. This was informative.

Both of you were going into a lot more detail than needed. All three of OP's cruises either begin or end in Canada, PVSA does not apply. End of discussion.

Not exactly - it's not legal to board a vessel for three consecutive cruises that might be LA-Vancouver, Vancouver-Vancouver round-trip, and Vancouver-Seattle (in other words, starting in one US city and ending in a different US city). It becomes legal if there's a change of ship or a 24-hour break. Notice that all three of those cruises started or ended in Canada, but the continuous booking aboard one ship made it illegal for the PVSA.

The point I was trying to make, for which far too many of you have jumped on my back, is that the OP is switching ships. That splits up "the math".

Back when we were all in grade school, we'd have to solve word problems. If Billy is wearing blue and has 78 cents in his pocket, and Betty is wearing yellow and has 64 cents in her pocket, how many quarters could Billy have? The answer is not "yellow and blue make green!" no matter how much you love Ziploc bags! The answer is three. Extolling the virtues of color theory does not change the answer, nor does it change the question. If you feel that's me being critical, you're welcome to your own darned opinion, but if you think it's bullying, you're WRONG.

Both of you were going into a lot more detail than needed. All three of OP's cruises either begin or end in Canada, PVSA does not apply. End of discussion.

Many countries have their own version of the PVSA (and Jones Act).